Sol B River

Playwright

Sol B. River is an acclaimed playwright, film-maker and producer having completed an MA in scriptwriting before taking up various residencies at some of Britain’s top regional theatres and companies. He has directed various documentaries for Channel 4 television including Brace Yourself and Glass Ceiling and enjoys crossing media and genre.

His first collection of plays River Plays 1 (Oberon, 1996) made him the youngest and first living black writer to be published by Oberon books, one of the most prolific publishers of drama in the UK. Much of his work is inspired by characters that make up the black diaspora and contemporary Britain. In 2004 Oberon books published River Plays 2, also known as The Agenda Album. He is published in various anthologies, most recently The Oberon Book of Monologues (Oberon, 2013). He has won various awards for his film and theatre work. The Guardian described his writing as being ‘like Beckett on amphetamines’, while the BBC described it as ‘modern, moving and mighty’.

His work with the Royal Literary Fund allowed him to take on a peripatetic role as writer-in-residence at University College, Chester, Leeds Trinity University, York St John University and Arden College of Theatre. Sol took a break from writing for the stage in 2004 to focus on directing, which led him to become associate director at the Contact Theatre in Manchester.

His works for BBC Radio 4 Drama and the BBC World Service include both drama and documentary. Since 2013 Sol has continued to produce original work and to form partnerships that reflect his eclectic experience, be it in theatre, television, film or radio, fact or fiction.